Week 14

Hermana Mejia

My new companion Hermana Gaines

We traded our car for bikes.....yeah!!!!!

hi hi hi!!! it has been another incredible week! I love my hermanas so much they are my best friends we are having so much fun and we are staying very busy filling our days with lessons and teaching so many incredible people that i love! also, news for this week i guess, we have decided to give away our car and it is now gone! we gave it to the elders a few days ago, they needed it more than us, and in return we took their bikes! everyone thinks that we are crazy because the spanish areas are so big but we have never been happier! i love to bike so much and so do my hermanas so it is the best thing ever! and we have so much fun and have already had many interesting and exciting adventures since we have begun. oh also last week i found out i had a staff infection, there was a ball the size of a grape in my armpit and then they cut it open and drained it and now i am all better and good to go! i dont know if that is exciting news or not but just another adventure! This morning we went to the temple and now i am so happy and grateful. I am especially grateful for families that God has given us and the blessing to be with them forever that comes from the ordinances of the temple! Yesterday in my studies i was reading in Alma during the wars between the lamanites and the nephites and the verse that stuck out to me is in 43:47 where it says that ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. and how important family is, and that the only things we fight for is for god and rights and liberty and for our families. I know that how we feel about our families is the same way that heavenly father feels about all of us. We are all his children and we are all brothers and sisters. This is something that i have really learned on my mission so far when i can feel the love that heavenly father has for the people we teach while we are talking with them and while they are praying. Every one of us on this earth chose to come here before this life we all chose to follow Jesus Christ and to accept his plan of happiness and to come to this earth. We are all brothers and sisters and we are all trying to return to our heavenly father after this life some of us have just forgotten. We must do everything we can to love these people and serve them and help them to come to christ, and this is where there is everlasting joy and peace. I love my savior Jesus Christ and the incredible news we have to share because of Him who has given us everything! I hope you all have the greatest day ever! and I invite you all to serve more today and to sacrifice for your neighbor give more today and i promise that you will come closer to Christ in this day. 

Love Love Love,

Hermana Egan

Week 13

hi hi hi!!! this is the start of the second transfer and in a couple days i will have been out for almost 3 months i really feel that i have just gotten here so that is kind of starting to weird me out and make me sad that the time is flying so fast but just live every moment and it is so great! so hermana rickett has left us which was very very sad but she is needed elsewhere and that is okay and  i was very happy that hermana mejia was staying because we are best friends and i love her so much. our new companion and my new trainer is hermana gaines. which is so great because she is the best person ever and it is also really funny because when i was in the mtc one of my teachers told me that someone named hermana gaines was going to be my trainer and i of course never heard of her or anyone in the mission and he said she was in the mission and was one of his friends from byu and that she is exactly like me and that she will def be my trainer then when i got to the mission home she was the first missionary that i met so that was so weird and i was really thinking she was going to be but then of course she wasn't my trainer and hermana rickett was so when ever i found out that hermana gaines was going to be my trainer for this transfer it was pretty weird but so awesome! now i need to email my mtc teacher and let him know he was right! but the point is that i love her so much! and i suppose it is destiny that we are companions hahaha. but really she is the best person ever and i am learning so much from her, she is a powerful missionary and a great example! i am so excited for this transfer! me and my hermanas are having so much fun and we have lots of great people and families we are teaching! This week I am most grateful for the scriptures, and specifically the book of mormon. I have been having super powerful experiences and actually every time that i do read it, it is exactly relevant to my day like crazy amounts. yesterday it was almost word for word a conversation i had, and it was very cool. so for example yesterday we were talking to a young man who was an atheist and we was very smart and nice and great to talk to, but of course when you talk to people like that they challenge you, and that is why i truly love talking to atheists and people who will challenge me because that is one time when my testimony is always strengthened. There have been many times so far when someone just picks you apart and these have been some of the experiences when i have felt the holy ghost the most powerfully testify to me of the truth. and then when i got home last night i read in extra time before bed and it was about the anti christ korihor in alma 30 and the conversation was almost word for word and it was super cool for me and i felt the holy ghost testify to me for the second time that day of our heavenly father and his power and love. and in the book of mormon i was able to see what alma such a great missionary said and then learn how to become a little better everyday and it was pretty cool. i was thinking if only i read this in the morning before but i guess i need to try on my own first and then we get the help but either way i have such a strong testimony of the book of mormon. I know it is God's words to us and that we can receive personal revelation and answers to our prayers. There have been so many times when we have shared the scripture that those people needed at that moment and sometimes the same scripture to different people but the holy ghost still speaks to them and will give them what they need we just have to follow the promptings. I know it is a gift from God and i am so grateful to have this guidance and knowledge as well as the guidance form the living prophet thomas s. monson. we are already getting so excited for general conference! I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I live because of him, I will live because of him, We can change anything through him and we can overcome anything. Through the atonement our natures can be changed and we can become more like Christ. This week I have had an opportunity to really learn what the atonement is and means and i am still learning this now and probably will be forever, but i am incredibly grateful and so full of joy that there is no room for anything else!!!! 

the scripture for this moment is Alma 26:22. 

con muchisimo amor, 

Hermana Egan

Week 12

hi hi hi hi! this week has been so awesome! and the new transfer starts tomorrow! i am staying in logan with hermana mejia and we are getting a new trainer hermana gaines. i will miss hermana rickett so much she was the best thing but i am very excited for a new transfer and a fresh start! 

anyways, this week has been great! one of the coolest things is when one of our investigators who has been in jail just got out and messaged us on facebook right when he was free and told us he is coming to church with us on sunday. this is such a miracle if you even knew this person. He is so awesome and very smart and he knows the bible and he has a lot of problems with churches and stuff but they all line up perfectly with the gospel and it is pretty cool that this really is all the answers he is looking for so we taught him a couple times before he got caught for jail but he always said he hates church and everyday bad comes from church and that he will never never go to church so it is amazing and i don't know what happened while he was in jail but i cannot wait to talk to him he is so cool and i think he read the book of mormon! 

anyways also yesterday we met the nicest sweetest cutest family from spain and they invited us in and wanted us to eat dinner with them but we had already ate and so they just postponed their dinner for an hour while we talked and they just wanted to talk more and more and they were so nice. The parents are very catholic and the dad knows everything about the catholic church and is super super nice and really cool and super open to talk to us we talked about all the differences and we taught the restoration and the coolest part was that there teenage daughter has been going to the lds church and she went to efy last week and and she was answering all of the questions and she was beaming when she was talking about efy and church and it was super cool. they are going back to spain in a month but we are so excited to teach them before they do! I love being a missionary it is the best thing that has ever happened to me and i love all the people that we meet everyday. I think the Lord has definitely blessed me with a better memory because if we meet 50 people that day i remember them all and there names and the people i met in the first weeks that i talked to once and then meet them again way later i love to remember their names and show them that i care about them because i really do! i just love all the people and being a missionary that is another gift that comes i think is to see the people more how heavenly father sees them and just appreciate what it is that they have. I know that Heavenly Father is guiding me everyday I know that he guides all of us and he is involved in our lives, he is always there, and he always wants to help us, I know that he has a plan for us, and when i dont understand why something isn't going the way i planned it he has a better purpose in mind and he knows what is best and that the people are being prepared. I love this gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that is has been restored and we have a living prophet today. I know that we can return to live with heavenly father and jesus christ and live together with our families after this life.

con mucho amor, 

Hermana Egan

Week 11

This week has been a crazy week and an AWESOME one!!!! lots lots lots has happened and it is very exciting!!!! we took on of our investigators (it is actually the one who read the scriptures from behind the bush if you are keeping up, who is now progressing so much and it is amazing) but we took him tot he martin harris pageant and there he was able to meet a few of the youth from our spanish branch miraculously that they were right next to where we were sitting out of literally thousands of people it was pretty cool he also came to church with us this sunday and he is already talking about next week and he is coming to activities and it is pretty cool!!! also we got facebook this week which was the craziest weirdest thing ever that i thought would never happen but it is so amazing and the teaching opportunities now available with the new technology is incredible and the potential of missionary work has just skyrocketed. They have asked us to use the same account that we had because i guess for one that is a rule that facebook has is one account per person so of course we are following all of the rules but also it is pretty cool and it is a blessing because it really makes us into a life long missionary and we are able to stay in contact with the people that we are teaching now after our mission and even after we get transferred. There are many missionaries who are already teaching families and friends the gospel lesson and it is pretty amazing. I will only be using facebook for missionary purposes though do it is is for anything else we will need to email but we also need the help of all the members to get involved we need all of their support and we need all the members to add us so that we are able to spread the gospel even more we need the members to like comment and share when we post mormon messages or spiritual thoughts so that that will spread to all of your friends also and we can get more people in touch with the missionaries and more people effected. Please help out and also add the missionaries from your home ward on facebook if that mission has started the program because that is how we are going to make the most difference is with every one involved working together to dot he lord's work. We had to of course clear everything off of our old facebooks before we could start using them as a missionary so we had to hide all of our pictures and past posts which took a while but now that i am done i have been on one day when i started contacting and i have already had a miracle happen and it is pretty amazing and i know that lots of success is on its way with the use of technology also it is pretty cool how much the lord does trust the youth with first the age change for missions and now using all of this technology. I know that the Lord has been preparing many miracles and plans before my mission that i had no idea while they were happening and now i am very grateful and amazed at the miracles and blessings that i see every day. Also we have had some pretty cool lesson this week and one was with someone who wasnt keep commitments before i guess and so my hermanas had to drop them before i got here but we ran into them randomly and they invited us in and we taught the coolest lesson ever it was amazing and the spirit was so strong and especially when the woman said the prayer at the end it was very cool that was actually yesterday and we have another appointment tonight so i am pretty excited about we have been getting more referrals and finding more people since we have lost a few and it is pretty cool. I cannot believe that this transfer is already over time is flying by but i am so grateful for every day and each moment. This week many of my prayers were answered in really cool and real ways and i am feeling very happy and grateful and free! :) Many of the answers did come through other people and i just love the way that the Lord works! it is pretty amazing! I love being a missionary so much! Today we got to go hiking again and i run some of it with one of my hermanas and it was very freeing and beautiful and awesome! I know this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same church that Christ established when we lived and it is the kingdom of God on this earth I am so grateful to have this knowledge, peace, love, joy in my life and I want every one to have it and I want everyone to know it! I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know that through Him we can do it all and we can have blessing after this life that we can never imagine how great as long as we will live this life like He did and keep our covenants and commandments! and there is so much joy in that! Also logan is one of the most beautiful places around the earth as much as i have seen i am finding out the mountains are amazing and the sunset every day against the sky is a masterpiece it is pretty cool! I love this earth and the plan that heavenly father has for each of us. I know that he hears you and your prayers and that our heavenly father is always there and he always loves us even when we do make the mistake. I know because I can feel the spirit and the love that heavenly father for the people that i teach every day.

Con Mucho Amor,

Hermana Egan

Week 10

Hola Hola Hola!

This week has been super great! I love my hermanas to death and they make everything fun. We have a few investigators that are really progressing. and for example, the boy from the bushes story last week is going around telling everyone that he is going to be baptized so that is pretty cool. but also really sad things have happened when we have lost a lot of people. for example, one of our investigators moved and is now out of our area so we cant teach her anymore but we are still going to her baptism. Also another one of our investigators,  we found out where we teach him is actually his sons house and he doesn't live in our area either. Also another one of ours, is either missing or hiding and we have tried so many times and no luck and it is really pretty sad that we are starting to lose hope on her because she was so golden and awesome. but other than that we did teach a lot of really cool lesson this week and the Lord is definitely blessing us. The food was kinda hard this week and it did make me pretty sick one night but the Lord is definitely helping me with that also and just day by day everything is great! The members in the spanish branch are super awesome and very willing to help and come to lessons they are pretty cool. This week we are super busy and we are going to a martin harris pageant a few times to help, be missionaries and talk to non members there and also we are bringing a few investigators with us so we are pretty excited about that! This is the scripture that I like at the moment.

And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions.

And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage.

Mosiah 21:14-15

I love these verses because it is a great example that the Lord will always hear our cries always and will always answer them but according to his timing and his will and also our faith.

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and he is interested in each of our lives he loves us and he knows us and we will strengthen us through all things if we will turn to him, humble ourselves, and ask. This day is beautiful and the earth that we live on! I love my savior Jesus Christ and I know that he lives and is my way, my hope, and my salvation. This work would never be possible without God fully involved, and i am so grateful for the so many blessing near me around me in me by me and floating around me everyday if i could only see them all.

Love Love Love,

Hermana Egan

Week 9

Hola! This week was super cool and full of miracles and mercies from the Lord. So one day this week I bought candles and a lighter earlier in the day because I thought I would use them for an object lesson sometime. Then throughout the day we saw paper cups (another object lesson to teach the restoration) just randomly on the streets then we also saw matches a lighter in different places, each time we all noticed and said something about it but never connected anything then when we were getting out of the car to go to a lesson on the gospel of Jesus Christ there was another lighter right outside our car door and then we thought finally that maybe we should use the candles and teach the restoration instead of the gospel, and when we went in we asked some questions and it was clear that they needed to hear the restoration again, so that was pretty cool and the lesson was awesome and the spirit was super strong.

 Also the other coolest thing was when we met a lady the week before and she was very interested and wanted to learn about eternal families and the plan and it was really cool, then we made the return appointment but when we went back she wasn't there. Then when we tried back later the husband answer and was very clear that they were catholic and they were not interested. This was super sad because we knew that the lady wanted to hear more but we couldn't really go back out of respect for the husband. Then we were visiting someone else who lived by there she came home and pulled up right as we were walking by and she said hi to us and called us over and set up the appointment with us so it was super cool. Then we got in our car and were getting ready to drive away when her husband pulled up right as we were leaving and that was pretty cool. 

We have an investigator and she knows that it is true and she wants to get baptized but the problem is that her husband is a member but he is in jail for illegal immigration, and she and her husband wanted to wait until he got out so that he can be at her baptism. Then after that we found out that they were not married either, so there were a whole lot of things that needed to be worked out and we didn't know what was going to happen with the husband, and so we were worried that she was maybe never going to be able to be baptized. Then her husband got out of jail miraculously and they are giving him 72 hours to not be caught and if he isn't then he can stay (no idea how that all works out) but it is super crazy and intense. So we are having a wedding and a baptism all in that one day like back to back and it is so crazy but she is so excited and it is pretty cool to see everything work out after it seemed like it never would. 

Yesterday we also taught the funniest lesson ever. So many funny things happen everyday but we were teaching two teenagers about prayer, and we were having them read the scriptures and one of them was too shy to have us watch him read and he also said his voice sounded like a girl so he went into the bushes to read and it was pretty funny that the scriptures were being read aloud from behind a bush so you cant see anyone but only hear them coming out and for all the people walking by it was a little funny, but maybe you had to be there, but there were many great adventures this week and even a couple door slams, but there were so many great times and really cool lessons. It is always so funny to me when people will remind us of the appointments we have with them, as if they are afraid that we will forget. They have no idea that we think about them all the time, plan for them, pray for them, and there names and all there concerns and needs are written on our board and they are pretty much our whole life and they dont even know about it and me and my hermanas always laugh about how creepy we actually are and the people we have met once are so surprised when we remember their names and everything but we actually remember every person we talk to and we talk about them after so we would just never really forget. Plus we just love them all everyone! I love being a missionary and you really do just have that love for every person that you meet and it is pretty incredible!

We have this one apartment complex called Maple Valley and every time that we go here to teach someone we find at least one more investigator. It is the hispanic cool hang out I guess, and they are all friends so when we find one we will meet all there friends and none of them are members and they are all interested and now i think getting the missionary discussions has become the new cool thing or something but it is so awesome and this week has been a fresh week of finding and we found so many awesome people who are super cool and very interested!

One of these golden investigators was so prepared and awesome and wanted to learn more every single day and he wanted to come to church and come to the baptism and everything and he is so great but the saddest thing is that we found out that we were teaching him at his brothers house and he actually lives just barely out of our area so we had to give him away to the other missionaries, so it is sad that we can't teach him but it is still great that he is finding the truth, making changes, and is so happy. 

The other sisters had a baptism last week and it was so amazing, the girl was 15 and she is so awesome and so cute the baptism was super special and really cool a lot of investigators attended also and it was great. Me and my hermana gave a talk and our other hermana sang and it was pretty cool.

I was just reading in 2 Nephi 22 and this is a super great chapter I love it and it is so short that you can even just memorize it. 

My favorite parts are when it says

 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the lord Jehova is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation. Sing unto the Lord for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. 

Christ is also my strength, my song, and my salvation, my joy and my everything. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ and because of the real power and strength we can receive through it. I love my savior Jesus Christ and I know that he lives, and I want everyone to know it! I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that it has been restored to the earth once again in all the fullness and that we have a living prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson. This week I am feeling very blessed and grateful and I really just want to sing praise in every moment.

Con amor,

Hermana Egan

Week 8

Hola!

This week has been incredible! So much has happened this week it seems like the last time I wrote was forever ago, and it is hard to remember everything! But yesterday was a wonderful day and a day of miracles! We had four teaching appointments and all four fell through. We had thought, prayed, planned, and prepared so much for these people and about them, and we were so excited to teach and then we stand at the door so happy and ready and no one comes out. This is one of the sorrows of missionary work. It is hard not to think how come? We are trying so hard to do everything and give everything and then the lessons didn't work out, and where are the miracles? I was wrong to doubt because there are always miracles and God has a plan that is much greater than I don't know much about, so we just need to have the faith and go where we are led. anyways, we taught three on the spot incredible lessons!!! wow, so incredible! The lord softened the hearts of the people we taught and I have never met such people that were so prepared to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of them is a soccer player and he was wondering all the questions that this gospel answers and we taught the restoration and gave him a book of mormon and we are going back to teach his whole family. After that we randomly ran into a recent convert on the street, and we asked if we can go see his sister who is not a member. He is the coolest person ever! It was so incredible to see the change in him. He was so enthusiastic and he was just sharing his testimony and he was glowing. The spirit was super strong through him and everyone could see that he knew it was true. It was amazing he invited another non member to the lesson, and we taught an awesome object lesson and everyone understood and we are going back to teach them again. The one non member was a little unsure about getting the missionary discussions but Steven is already the greatest missionary (he is 18 and he is planning on serving a mission soon) and he was telling him that its his choice and he doesn't have to do anything just listen and learn more and he was just bearing his testimony and it was so awesome. Yesterday I definitely saw the effect that the members can make in God's work. Anyways, the last lesson we taught was so amazing! we talked to a group of people outside at a park and it was super cool. One of the people we taught plays football at Utah State and he wanted to know more about Joseph Smith and he wants the discussions but he is so busy with football camp starting in a couple days but we made an appointment with him tomorrow before it starts so we will see. Then there was two other guys who we also have appointments with, but they were pretty drunk so they will likely not remember but we have their information so it is great. Anyways the last one was so prepared it was crazy! He is just looking for this gospel but he didn't know it! He has read the bible six times and knows a lot but he says he doesn't believe in church and no church is true so he wont go to church. wow, how amazing! He is so much like Joseph Smith and I am so excited to teach him more about him. He was telling us many things in the churches that do not make sense to him and all of his questions were the right questions and it was so cool. He doesn't agree with the trinity and he says that how can these churches all say something different with just the bible and they just interpret it a different way. It was super cool to answer all of his questions as we taught the restoration. we told him all about the book of mormon and he was very interested he has so many questions and is very skeptical but he is definitely going to investigate the church and we are so excited. He says he will have the book of mormon read by our next visit in a couple days. Miracles are real, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is restored to this earth again today. I love being a missionary! don't get me wrong the work is amazing here in logan but we also get a fair share of door slams and funny experiences with people avoiding us and closing all the blinds and windows when they see us coming, but we just try to laugh those off and continue on with faith! :) One of our investigators told me that he will name his son egan. hahaha Everything here is so great! My hermanas are my hermanas and my best friends! We are super close and they are great missionaries that are excited about doing this work! I love the area here in logan and the members are so great! The dinners are an interesting experience everyday and they will always want you to eat more and more and sometimes you say no and they still put it on your plate. hahaha i am lucky that my hermanas have helped me out a few times. The spanish is coming along great! When I teach people are impressed with my spanish for how long I have been out and I feel that I can teach anything pretty freely with the language, the comprehension is definitely a struggle for me though. I am fine until they will start telling a story and then I am completely lost and just rely on my companions and smile or not depending on their facial expressions hahaha.

I love the book of mormon. I know that it is true. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that the prophets in this book lived and that Christ came to the people in the Americas after his resurrection. I know that this book is a gift from god and that it is the word of god. There is power within this book and God will teach us as we read what we need even for that day through the holy ghost and through its pages. I love this scripture:

I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move accoridng to your own will and even supporting you from one moment to another- I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. 

Mosiah 2:21

I love that it says 'by lending you breath'. God has given us everything good in this world, and if we serve him with our whole souls we are still unprofitable servants. I am so grateful that we have a loving heavenly father who has given us so much. He has given us a plan for happiness and salvation, a way to live forever with Him and our families forever in happiness and this way is through Jesus Christ. I am so happy every moment because of this truth and I know it is true because the Holy Ghost has testified to me of the truth even every single day. 

Con Amor,

Hermana Egan